paula

High five to ya!!!! Way to go girl - You are such an inspiration to us!

Hi Shamrock - WELCOME! Just wondering... seeing that you have so many around you that has had the GBP - what made you look into other WLS's ??

Me too Betty! And its funny that you mentioned it this morning... I was just thinking that TODAY was the day that I was going to start walking/exercise... SOMETHING! You are right, the benefits far out weigh the excuses. (sigh) If I could just D O I T!!!!!

In my situation, the dietitian's report to my insurance comp. played a very - VERY vital role in my approval. Heck, if I couldve done it over the phone I wouldve!!!! Lucky you And my doctors office wouldnt give me a date till they had a letter of approval from my insurance company... see, everyone has a different journey! Regardless, its gonna be here in a snap!

Hey Trish, How can you have a date if your insurance hasnt approved this yet? You are right - you shouldve had something like a EKG, chest x-ray AND certainly bloodwork before this surgery... mabye they will have you do these test a couple of days before the surgery ??? ...and your dietitian consulted you over the phone?????????????????? Ive never heard of that. Now Im confused!

If you think this is good... wait till you can have pudding and thick soups!

I am right there with you. Everytime I have a BM I think I need to weigh - thinking Ive voided enough to finally get below 200... ridiculous, I know! This phrase goes right along with what you are saying, "I may not be where I should be, but I Thank God that Im not where I used to be!" How true!!! But when am I going to realize this???

I found that the Source of Life liquid Vitamins (the one that Penni was telling us about) really helps me. When I take this Vitamin, my hair loss slows down. But, about 3 days of forgetting to take it, and I think Im gonna go bald - b/c Im losing so much hair. Good luck!

LOL... is THAT all you guys ever think about??? Clothes fitting's are always a great NSV! Glad to see youve perked up. Now, ONLY good things from here on, ok?

What a strange question to ask on a weightloss board. But... I want a digital camera and have NO idea how to chose one. Like everything else, there is the good, better, best ones. Just wondering from you guys which one is the 'better' one - and the easiest to operate. ($200 price range) Oh, and Ive been shopping for one - MANY times - still nothing. Thats why Ive decided to come here and ask you. Thanks!

Got one! Actually Mike got it for me, he was tired of me being so indecisive, so he took the bull by the horns!!! Its a HP, 4.1MP, 3x optical and 6x digital (Im reading this off the camera). I know, I know, Donali didnt give the HP a thumbs up, but I didnt have the heart to tell him this. He kept the receipt, so if I dont like - I bring back!!!

Hey Joanie, Welcome! And good luck on Thursday. Where are you from?

OMG - I cant believe we havent told you this yet!!!!! NO COLD - ONLY WARM!!!!!!!!!

Mary, Thank God something is working. My husband would call the padded truck in before allowing me to lift the top of our bed. So, I have to resort to the pillows for elevating my head. Marie, just wondering... do you feel the need to slide down the bed when the top is raised? just wondering!

One more thing... (Im sure youve already thought of this, but I wanted to mention it) try sipping warm tea, coffee, broth - something warm/hot. The cold tends to restrict more.

Betty, this is exactly why I call this woman my 'band mom' - she is AWESOME!!!! I remembered reading about her getting up in the middle of the night and drank warm Water with a little lemon juice to help a slight moment of restricion. SO, with that etched in my memory - the other day I was having a little trouble with something sticky, so I tried the water/lemon juice thing, and it worked!!! Who in the world wouldve thought to try that? Thanks AGAIN Mom! Sorry to get off the original topic Wade!

IF you have any of these symptoms, you need to contact your surgeon and discuss what to do. Sometimes its as simple as getting a slight unfill that will stop these symptoms.

I agree 100% with this action. ESPECIALLY if one wouldnt be able to take their anti-dep. med's. ...thats a scary thought (stopping them cold-turkey is even scarier)! Maybe your doctor isnt experienced enough to figure out what to do with you... just a guess ~ in that case, you have to take matters into your own hands. Our bodies 'will' to survive is actually as strong as our mental state. This means that only YOU can determine how long you are able to tolerate this. About the insurance thing. My new insurance will not pay for an adjustment/fill - but if I was having problems and needed testing, they would pay for that, as long as the testing did not say it was band related. Does that make sense? In other words - dont lie, just dont tell the insurance everything.

It wasnt til I was around 10 or so that I realized that the brown UPS truck wasnt for picking up bad kids. My parents had me convinced that when we would see that truck lurking through our neighborhood *daily* - that it was looking for me! Even now as an adult, I perk up when I hear that deep roaring sound coming down the street. But what is REALLY sick, is that, I NOW tell my kids the same thing - that the UPS truck is picking up misbehaved kids. :tired

Oh Mary... I am so sorry! (((hugs))) Just remember, you are doing this to help him, NOT hurt him! Hurting him would be to ignore. The way I look at this is - I grew up a ADHD child and as I grew older it turned into ADD and I became VERY overweight as well... usually the "H" helps keep the weight off. Anyway, I struggled soooo much in school. Couldnt focus, couldnt retain any information, couldnt even read a book . I remember MANY TIMES crying and praying that God would help me remember all of the information I was given to study, so I could pass the test the next day. All school was for me was a place to daydream! Especially when I got a little older. And my handwriting? oh geez - horrible!, I OFTEN wonder if my life wouldve been different if I wouldve been given something (like Strattera) for this 'problem'. Maybe I wouldve been in a 'club', or in a popular clique... better yet, gone to college! Not to mention I most likely wouldnt have struggled with being MO as a teen, possibly wouldve actually had a date in High School. So, if my child would be struggling in school, with the same symptoms I had, I would definately give it a try! (which he is showing symptoms, but his pedi. wants to wait a little longer) Good luck, and God bless you! (oh, have you talked with the pharmicist yet? You may get more of a peace of mind from him/her.)

AMEN!!! Darcy, how well I can relate! Dont worry, I have brain damage too. Think there's a 'safe' place for us to go?

See? THIS is what I needed... I NEEDED to read something like this to get my butt back on tract. I too, L O V E food. Its my bestfriend. You see, "Food" has been with me when I was sad, "Food" has been with me when I've felt lonley, "Food" has been there for me when I had to wake up at 2am to feed an infant baby and cant stay awake. So, Im having a real hard time breaking this relationship with my bestfriend... Thanks Penni. Maybe if I print these instructions and read them often, maybe - just maybe it will set me straight.

no problem Vera... Im anticipating the feedback as well

OMG - what a M A N! ...did somebody say they saw Penni and Lisa in that pic???

Once you go digital, you'll never go back... The instant gratification of SEEING whether or not the pic came out is soooo addicting...